Marking and ornamenting glassware in colors



(No Model.) 7. v

W.F0X. Marking'and Ornamenting Glassware in Colors No. 240,686.

I Patented April 26,1881.

mi? ills AWN ,NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM FOX, OF STEUBENVILLE, OHIO.

MARKING AND ORNAMENTING GLASSWARE IN COLORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 240,686, dated Application filed February 25, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM Fox, of Steubenviile, county of Jefferson, State of Ohio, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Marking and Ornameuting Glasswarein Colors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making a part of this specification, in which-like letters indicating like parts- Figure 1 represents a glass-mold and apparatus adapted for use in carrying out my invention. Fig. 2 represents a glass article as it is re1no"ed from the apparatus, Fig. 1, the flow-over )eing connected thereto; and Figs. 3 and 4 represent glass articles ornamented and marked in illustration of my invention.

My invention relates to the marking, labeling, and ornamenting of glass articles in colors.

Variou. methods have heretofore been in use for marking or labeling glass jars an dsimilar articles, and also in ornamenting glassware generally. Among those most commonly practised are the following: Etching and grinding or cutting the surface of the glass, painting with Vitreous and other paints, and burning or baking in ovens or kilns, pasting printed labels on the article, and in some cases coverin g or protecting such labels in various ways, and also by forming, usually in the course of manufacture, raised or depressed designs on or in the body of glass. t

My invention differs essentially from these methods, and from all others of which I have knowledge; and it consists in forming on the surface of the article, by the operation of blowing, a film or thin layer of glass of any desired shape or form in outline, such film being of different color from the article, and subsequently forming on or in such film or raised surface the desired letters, mouograms, mark, or design by etching, cutting,or grinding, or by equivalent methods.

Variousforms of apparatusmay be employed in carrying out my invention. I have shown in the drawings one such form, which I now prefer, but do not limit my invention to this or any particular one; neither do 1 limit my invention to any particular class or shape of April 26, 11381.

glass articles, that shown being simply for illustration. The apparatus which I have shown is similar in construction to that shown and described in patent granted to me (assignor) October 5, 1880, No. 112,886. ,0

As now shown, B represents aform or receptacle adapted to receive and hold the article to be marked or ornamented. One side, b, of this receptacle is formed against or in the base or side of a two-part blowing-mold, A, the cavity a of which opens into B through the wall D.

The side E of the receptacle may beniade either stationary, and adapted to a single size and shape of article, or, as shown, it may be made movable by means of lever 11, or otherwise, so that an article, 0, being placed in the receptacle may be held' tightly against the side wall, I), and also so that one set of apparatus may be used with articles varying somewhat in form and size. The manner of mounting such movable block E within the box: D so as to work in proper relation to the mold-wall b is described in the patent above referred to,

and need not be here given in detail, the purpose being to hold the side or some other part of the surface of article 0 against wall I), so that such surface, so far as it is exposed through the mold-cavity a, may form in effect the bottom wall of such cavity.

Any desired form in transverse section may be given to the side walls of cavity a, so that they may bound or describe any desired form of surface, regular or irregular, on the face of the article, as elliptical, circular, polygonal, or may outlinca human figure, animal, or other design.

The cavity a is designed for blowing, and a V-shaped neck or cut-off, a, is made around the base for severing the blow-over at the line of its apex, near the surface of the article 0.

In practice, the two parts of the mold being closed and the article 0 being held against the wall I), as described, the workman blows a globule or 'ball, 0, of glass in the mold-cavity in the usual way of doing such work, and in such blowing operation he forces a film or lamina of glass of the desired thickness upon and over that part of the surface of the article which is exposed in the cavity a,andl the hot glass, thus coming in contact with the glass article, fuses into or to it and forms a complete and perfect union therewith. The blown glass becoming sufliciently cooled to be hanv dled or removed, the mold is opened and the blow-over 0 is broken off in the usual way along the line made by a, leayin g a thin lamina plate or layer of glass, 0 of the desired form, fused to and raised slightly above the surface of the article, This film or lamina of glass may be of any desired color, by preference different from thatof the article, and itforms a ground on which the desired ornamentation or marking is made. Such marking or ornamentation may be of any desired designas a label, monogram, initial, flower, name, &c., as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4-and it is formed by cutting the desired figure or figures in the raised ground 0 by any of the known ways of doing such work, as by etching with acid or sand-blast, or by grinding or cutting, &c., and in doing this work very pleasing and attractive efi ects may be secured by varying the depth of cuts made therein, so as to expose through the same in varying and shaded degrees the color of the article 0. By skillful treatment a blending of colors can thus be secured, which will add greatly to the ornamental appearance of the finished article.

The border 0 of the raised ground 0 may be ground smooth and finished as shown, or in any manner in harmony with the rest of the work. I

For many purposes in the arts-as for use in laboratories and by druggists-glass vessels labeled and marked in the manner I have dc scribed possess advantages over similar articles heretofore in use, since the mark or label is both conspicuous and ornamental, and is not liable to injury from the contents of the vessel; and while 1 have designed my improvement for use more especially on such articles, yet I do not wish to limit myself thereto, as other glass articlesas pressed or blown table-ware, lamps, and glass goods generally may in this way be decorated with initials, monograms, and other designs in color, and thereby make them highly ornamental and readily salable,without adding materially to the expense of manufacture.

I am aware that it is aknown method in the art to make articles of glassware by uniting two or more layers or laminae of glass of different colors, which are brought together in the process of manufacturing the body of the article, and then cutting ornamentations in the outer layer of glass; but articles made in this way areveryliable to break, not only in mannfacturin g, but also afterward in sudden and extreme changes in temperature, owing to unequal expansion and contraction of the different grades and layers of glass which form a component part of the body of the article. In myimproved method the body of the glass article is first formed, independent and complete, of a single grade of glass, and then upon a part of the surface of such article I blow the 6 ing or pressing; second, fusing on the surface of the article alamina of glass of different color from the article; and, third, cutting or forming in the body of such lamina the desirer mark or design, substantially as described.

2. A glass article having fused to a part of So its surface a film or lamina of glass of different color, the two forming one body, with letters or words cut, etched, or similarly formed in the surface or body of such film or lamina, substantially as described.

3. The method herein described of marking,

labeling, and ornamenting glassware in colors,

consisting in, first, forming the body of the ar- -ticle complete by blowingor pressing; second,

forming a raised ground or surface of any de- 0 sired form on the article by blowing a film or lamina of hot glass thereon, such ground being of different-colored glass from that which it covers; and, third, cutting or etching the desired letters, marks, or design in varying depths in the body of such raised ground, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM FOX. Witnesses:

GEORGE G. BRIGHT, J osEPH GoNLEY. 

